Milltown Pride Behind the Scenes

Locations: There were 23 different locations in 4 states (NC, SC, GA, and MA) that were used in the film.

Crew: The Unusual Films crew was made up of 19 staff members, 24 summer student staff, and 60 students that assisted in shooting during the academic year.

Cast: The cast was made up of 98 speaking roles, 485 extras, and two snakes.

Film Shot: The crew shot 77,400 ft. of film (36 hours worth) with the Arri SR-2 and Arri SR to complete the project.

Interesting Fact: The Georgia debut of “Milltown Pride” was recognized and commended by the Georgia State Senate in Senate Resolution 129 adopted on February 9, 2011.

LORD’S PROVISION: How we found the ball field in Demorest, GA

We needed a ball field that was authentic for the film, but we also needed an authentic period truck. When the production manager, Steve Ross, went to investigate a truck for sale in Demorest, GA, he drove down a road and saw a ball field in the distance through the some trees. When he investigated the field, the period stands were already in place and in good condition. Also, there were no obvious 21st century buildings or structures nearby that hindered the period look we were seeking. Later, he brought the director back to see it. The ball field was part of the Habersham Mill property, and it was just what we needed. Only the locals knew about the field, and there was no way we would have found it without the Lord leading us to it.

LORD’S PROVISION: How to Shoot the Water Tower SceneThere were two scenes in the film where Will and Chick were talking on a water tower. We didn’t know how we would be able to shoot this scene with a water tower being 120 feet in the air. We contemplated rebuilding a mockup water tower on our sound stage or finding one that had been torn down. But we were able to find a water tower that was only 30 feet in the air in Spindale, NC. The owner of the property was more than happy to let us film on the tower. We just had to paint the water tower to match it to the other water towers we were using. (The water tower you see in the film was actually three separate water towers.)

With the help of a scissor lift, our cinematographer was able to get eye level with the actors for two important conversations on the tower.

LORD’S PROVISION: Vehicles Used in the Film

There were many period vehicles used in the film. Many folks let us borrow their antique vehicles (and some even brought them with them when they were extras in the film). Of all the vehicles that appear in the film, we only purchased one antique truck that shows up as 4 different vehicles painted 3 different colors.

SNAKES

One of the scenes in the film called for a copperhead snake. The character, Pike, angrily confronts Will and is holding a live copperhead in a brown sack. In the scene, Pike throws the copperhead at Will. To practice this scene, we created a snake replica from some thick rope painted like a snake.

Later, a snake handler taught Logan (Pike) how to properly hold a live copperhead. The actual snake that was thrown at Thomas (Will) was a dead copperhead that the snake handler had frozen after it died a year earlier. When the scene was actually shot, the whole crew watched with interest.